


i'll keep you close to me

by crumpled_up



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Did someone say fluff? - Freeform, F/M, I don't know how to write angst, coulson likes to be a creep sometimes, every version of coulson loves may, fluff with a tinge of sadness, from academy era to lmd coulson, he's also a sappy dork in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:27:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25782100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crumpled_up/pseuds/crumpled_up
Summary: 5 times Coulson watches May sleep.
Relationships: Phil Coulson/Melinda May
Comments: 22
Kudos: 84





	i'll keep you close to me

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how these fics end up being so long. I don't regret it though. Sparked from Coulson's line about how he likes to watch May sleep from the S6 Tahiti flashback.
> 
> Title comes from "I'll Follow You" by Shinedown because that is the ultimate May/Coulson song (and I will probably steal many lines from that song for future fics lol). Enjoy!

**one**

It was funny how peaceful she looked while sleeping, Coulson thought as he glanced over at May passed out over her SHIELD history book. She looked so innocent. So different from her quiet, intimidating, yet somehow mischievous personality. The sheer amount of pranks she could pull off was astounding, in his opinion. And no one was the wiser. She was so good at putting the blame on someone else, and of course, staying quiet. That all went sideways when he stumbled across her plan for pranking Sitwell one night in the dorms. Instead of turning her in, she somehow roped him into helping her set up the trap. Sitwell never saw it coming.

That was how they first met. (Although, technically they first met when he accidentally bumped into her in the mess hall, but she had no idea who he was back then, and he only realized afterwards that she was _the_ Melinda May who everyone was buzzing about after beating down a senior cadet in sparring the previous week.)

Since then, he noticed they shared a few classes between their rigorous schedules, such as SHIELD History. The one class he absolutely loved, and looked forward to every week, whereas May... used it as her nap time between classes. She claimed the power nap got her through the rest of the day, especially since it was all physical training. But they had an exam the next day, so she joined him in the library to study... only for her to fall asleep within the first five minutes of their study session.

He sighed. He should wake her so they could continue, but she looked absolutely exhausted when she walked in. She muttered something about evil senior cadets, plopped down on the chair, pulled out her history book, which looked like it was the first time she ever opened it, grabbed his notes, and then fell asleep. On top of his notes. His precious, highlighted, detailed notes.

She was a little cute though. Only a little. Because he was fairly sure that May did not want to be seen as _cute._ Although the drool was decidedly not cute, especially over his very precious notes.

He hated to wake her though. She looked like she needed it, but he needed his notes back. There were a couple of things he wanted to add, and they were right under her chin. He debated on whether he should just try to snag the papers from underneath and slide them out from under her, or if he should brave her wrath and just shake her awake.

So, he did the next best thing. He poked her in the side.

She shot up with a yelp and glared at him. "What the hell, Coulson?" she hissed as she rubbed her side.

He bit his lip to stop from laughing, but failed miserably. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. I needed my notes and you--" He stopped when he noticed her wince. "I didn't poke you that hard."

"No, but one of the senior cadets kicked me there yesterday during training." She continued to rub at her side. "It's a little sore. Don't worry about it."

"I'm sorry," he said kindly. "Although, that's pretty lame of a senior cadet to do that to you since you're just a first year."

She shrugged. "Hazing. Seems pretty typical for first year Ops cadets. Besides, he's just bitter I kicked his ass last week."

"So it's true?"

"You heard the rumors? Yeah, I beat his ass down fair and square. He didn't like it, so he's got it out for me. I can handle it. He doesn't scare me." Coulson wanted to butt in, but she held up her hand. "And I don't need a knight in shining armor. I can handle myself."

He nodded. "Clearly. Still doesn't make it right."

"You don't want to rush in to my aid?" she asked, surprised. "Everyone else wants to."

"Only if you want me to. But you're the more skilled fighter. I'm just in Comms after all."

May grinned and he felt his heart rate spike. "Okay then. One day, we'll have to spar. But for now," she looked down at his notes and squinted, tilting them to the left. "I need you to explain your ridiculous notes to me. This makes zero sense."

He chuckled and placed the notes on the table as he grabbed the textbook. "Promise not to fall asleep on me this time?"

"Promise. I can't promise I won't make fun of you, though."

He grinned. "Fair enough."

**two**

May could fall asleep anywhere. 

He didn't know if that was something that they trained to do in Operations because nearly every Specialist he knew could do it. Here, she was asleep on the dusty rug, on the equally dusty wooden floor. He managed to find a threadbare blanket to drape over her about an hour ago. She hadn't moved since she knocked out. He had offered his jacket as a pillow, but she waved him off and rolled over, using her arm as a pillow. _How_ that was comfortable, he'd never know.

Coulson glanced out the window of their dingy safe house. He wouldn't even consider it a safe house. More like four walls and a ceiling that happened to be in the middle of nowhere. They probably would be better off sleeping in the streets. But they needed to get away from the yakuza they pissed off, and this was the closest safe house.

He volunteered to take the first shift, and May would take the second. _Volunteered_ was May's term. He saw it as a well played trick of rock, paper, scissors. She somehow always won, and got to sleep first.

To be honest, he preferred the first shift. It allowed her to rest up, and when trouble came, she would be ready for whatever kind of danger they would have to fight off. And it gave him a moment to enjoy the quiet she always provided. It had _nothing_ to do with the fact that she was a little cute while she slept.

He glanced out the window again. So far, so good. All clear.

He sat down on the floor, leaned his back against the wall, underneath the window and stretched his legs out. The only comfortable looking chair was on the other side of the room, and even then he was pretty sure it would fall apart the second he sat in it. He was afraid of waking up May if he tried to drag it over. While she could fall asleep anywhere, she was the lightest sleeper he ever met.

Which he learned the hard way.

They hadn't been partners for long when they had to camp out at a much nicer safe house while awaiting extraction. He had opened a squeaky cabinet door and she shot up off the couch, knife ready in her hand. It was impressive and scary all at once. Especially when she nearly threw her knife at his head for waking her. Since then, he had been working on his stealth, and patience and sitting still.

One way to do that was to observe May while she slept. She kept many things bottled up inside. While they had gotten along well during the Academy, going even as far as to call her his best friend, and they had shared many secrets, it was completely different now they were full fledged SHIELD Agents. No longer cadets trying to make it through the rigorous courses the Academy had to offer. No longer playing all the pranks (although she usually tried to get away with at least one on every mission they have been paired up). The late night study sessions turned into planning and preparing for the next mission. All nighters turned into reconnaissance missions. At least the sparring sessions didn't change.

It was almost as if they were both two different people after they graduated. Or, more accurately, after they experienced what it was like to really be out in the field. All those legendary stories that swirled around the Academy were partially exaggerated, but he could see the kernels of truth now. Maybe one day, they would have their own legendary tales told about them.

She would smack him if she knew what he was thinking about. It was too early in their careers to even think about what legacies they would leave behind. Focus on the mission, she would say. Everything else comes later.

He let out a quiet sigh as he glanced over at her once more. She rolled over and blinked sleepily at him. "You think too loudly."

He rolled his eyes. He barely sighed and she woke up? The hell? "What else am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know, read a book?"

"I'm sure turning the pages would wake you up."

"Plan our next move?"

"Working on that, too. Just go back to sleep. I'll wake you in four hours." 

May grabbed the blanket and scooted over to him until she could use his thigh as her pillow. "My arm fell asleep. That's why I woke up."

He snorted. "I told you my jacket would be more comfortable."

"Yeah, then I'd have to hear you whine about how cold you were." She poked his thigh. "Someone's been working out."

"How else am I supposed to keep up with you?"

She grinned as she pulled the blanket up to her chin. "At least you're more comfortable now. You're not skin and bones like when I first met you."

"I was _not_ that skinny."

"Almost. But you've filled out nicely."

He reached out to run his fingers through her hair. It was the one thing he found that would get her to quickly fall back asleep. "Go back to sleep before you become too nice and ruin your reputation."

She pinched his thigh in retaliation, but didn't say anything as she drifted off again.

The grin he had been holding back finally slipped through. Compliments from May were very rare. The fact that she noticed his hard work in the gym definitely did wonders for his ego. Not that he was trying to impress her or anything. He wasn't lying when he said he needed to keep up with her. He spent the entire time in the Academy chasing her, and he needed to close the gap a little bit. He valued their partnership and enjoyed spending time with her. Last thing he wanted was for her to think he was dead weight or worse, sever their partnership because he was too inadequate. No, _she_ was too important to ever let go.

He continued to to stroke her hair absentmindedly. It was terrifying to think of what would happen if they could no longer work together, especially since they were still so young in their careers. They were barely Level 2 and Level 1 agents. Still very green in his book. Yet, he knew, like he always knew from the Academy, he would not be able to do this without her. Even if history never remembered him, it would remember her. Melinda May would be legendary in her own right. He had a strong feeling about that. 

And about her. But those were thoughts he _refused_ to entertain right now. Those were best kept to moments when he was alone and not with her head in his lap. So for now, he was content to sit here and watch over May for the next few hours. 

**three**

Coulson took a deep breath before dialing a familiar number on the sat phone. It took four rings before he heard someone pick up.

"Andrew, it's Coulson," he said without preamble.

Andrew sucked in a deep breath. "Please don't tell me--"

"She's fine," Coulson said quickly. "She's alive. It looks worse than it is, but she is injured. She was shot in the leg, and she's in surgery right now to fix that."

Andrew let out a relieved sigh. "Okay, that's not the first time she's been shot. Usually, you don't call for injuries like that anymore."

Coulson swallowed and it felt like a handful of sharp rocks went down his throat. "It's bad, Andrew. I am so sorry. It's my fault. I sent her in there and--"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, Phil. Just talk me through it. What happened?"

"I..." He coughed to clear his throat. "I can't go into specifics, you know that. But I don't even know what exactly happened. I sent May in to rescue our people, and she did that. But when she came out..." He took a deep, ragged breath. "I've never seen her like this before, Andrew. Something happened in there that..."

"That what, Phil? Shot her?"

"Well, yes, she did get shot. But, what I mean is..." Coulson closed his eyes and clenched his fist. _Just say it. Just get it out. Andrew needs to know._ "Something broke her," he whispered over the line. "Something happened in there and broke her. I've never seen her break down this badly after a mission."

"Not even--"

"Not even that one." It was a terrible mission in Chile where they found a mass grave of children. "This is worse. Way worse. I..."

Andrew was silent for a moment. "Where are you now?"

"She's still in surgery. I'm at the hospital waiting for any news right now. Once the doctors release her and let her travel back home, I'll let you know. I won't leave her alone."

"Thank you. Thank you for being there for her, Phil."

"No, this was all my fault. I made the call. I sent her in there." He wanted to crush the phone in his hand and chuck it at the nearest wall. "You shouldn't be thanking me at all. You should be angry and screaming at me. You should hate me."

"No, Phil. You're doing your job. You both are."

No, he wasn't. He was the worst field agent SHIELD had ever seen. What kind of agent let his partner go through that alone? His fingernails dug even deeper into the flesh of his hand. "I'll call you with more updates, Andrew. Keep your phone close. I promise you I'll bring your wife back."

That was one thing he could do. He'd bring May back. She wouldn't be whole again. She might not even be the same person again, but he would deliver her back to Andrew personally. And he would not give up on her. He never would.

He sank down in a hard plastic chair in the waiting room, the heels of his palms pressing deeply into his eyes as he tried not to let the flood of emotions burst out. What he wouldn't give to rescind his order. Or maybe go in there with her. Or somehow find a way to make it so May wouldn't have had to deal with a dead girl's body. Just what the hell happened? None of Hart's team remembered anything, other than May took out an entire building of bad guys, and the little girl couldn't be saved. _How_ was that possible? The questions, the regrets kept swirling around and around in his brain until-- 

"Agent Coulson?"

He looked up, and blinked a few times before the nurse could come into focus. "Yes?"

"Agent May is out of surgery now," the nurse said softly. "She's in recovery if you'd like to go see her?"

He nodded and stood up. "How is she?" he asked, voice rough. "How's the leg?"

"Surgery went well. The surgeon took great care of her and she should be ready to travel soon. I can give you the home care details when she's discharged."

Coulson nodded absently. By now, he knew how to take care of the various wounds May collected over the years. What he didn't know was how he was going to care for this particular heartache and trauma. "Thank you," he murmured as the nurse let him into May's room.

She was still unconscious with tubes and wires everywhere, her injured leg carefully wrapped and elevated. They also cleaned up the scrapes and dried blood on her face. He pulled over another plastic chair, placed it right next to her bed, and sat down with a heavy sigh. Then he took out the sat phone again, debating if he should call Andrew right now or not. He glanced over at May, the beeping monitors, and placed the sat phone down on the side table. He would call Andrew. But he needed to get his thoughts and emotions together first.

The Cavalry. That was Hart's new nickname for May, and he despised it. Yes, she had the power of a small army harnessed in that tiny frame, but at what cost? This wasn't the name that should go down in history for saving an entire strike team. This shouldn't be Melinda May's legacy. Her most heroic moment, cost almost everything but her life.

Coulson reached out to slide his hand under her bruised one, and gave it an experimental squeeze. She didn't respond. But her hand and skin were warm and that was enough for him. The monitors told him her heart was beating, she had a pulse, she could breathe. Everything should be fine now. May was alive. May would have to be off her feet for a while, probably placed on desk duty until she could clear her evals, then she would come back with a vengeance, right?

_Right?_

Coulson wasn't so sure anymore. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. Everything would change. He could feel it in the air, that crackle of a significant shift hanging over him. While he wanted it to be a good positive change, that sinking feeling in his gut told him otherwise.

He squeezed her hand once more. He didn't want her to wake up. This was to tell her that he was here, that he supported her, that he would always be here for her no matter what. Because judging from that feeling like a terrible storm was on its way, this may be the very last, dreamless sleep May would ever get.

**four**

"How are you two doing?" Daisy whispered as she looked over at the resting May laid out on the jump seats in the cargo bay. It wasn't comfortable for sure, but it was the closest free space available since the containment module held Fitz and Aida. At least he convinced her to change into a fresh set of dry clothing before getting her to rest.

"I'm doing a lot better than she is right now," Coulson said, nodding over to May. "She's very weak. Could barely stand when she came back to the real world. She took one hit to the face and fell down. Had to take the emergency dose of epinephrine to have the energy to fight."

Daisy looked at him in alarm. "You let her do that?"

He shook his head. "No, of course not. I was very opposed to it, but she did it anyway. It worked. We somehow managed to get to the top of the rig. More like I dragged her all the way to the top, but we're all here now."

"What a trip," Daisy muttered. "How are you doing with all that mind fuck of the Framework?"

Coulson shrugged. "It's weird for sure. I'm not so sure I liked my life without SHIELD."

"And seeing May as Hydra? _That_ was weird."

"No kidding. I'm pretty sure she didn't like her life in there either."

"I'm pretty sure _no one_ liked their lives in the Framework. Oh, except Mack. He's the only one that had a happy life out of all of us. I mean I was with Ward. That was creepy enough."

Coulson gave her a once over. "Are _you_ okay? You look pretty banged up yourself."

Daisy shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle." She grinned over at him. "You two were pretty cute in the Framework. You rushing in to save us from getting shot and all that. I mean you kept remembering her in some way."

"I thought it was weird that the month of May kept repeating over and over in my head. I thought I kept missing an important date in May."

"I think it's incredible that your guys' connection still made it through to the Framework, even though you two had never met, and were on completely opposite sides. Bet that was something Aida never took into consideration."

"I remembered you."

"Yeah, you did. Because I kept begging you to remember. But you just saw her and acted on instinct."

He looked over at May and sighed. "Force of habit, I suppose."

"Oh, before I forget. Here, take this." Daisy handed him a black bag. "Extra clothes to get you out of your wet ones."

He nodded his head as he took the bag. "Thanks. Do you mind getting a couple extra blankets, please? It was pretty cold on the rig. I'm just going to change."

When Coulson came back in his fresh clothing, he found two gray folded blankets on the empty seat by May's head. He shook out one and laid it over May's sleeping form. Then he debated on whether he should sit on the other side of the cargo bay and give her space, or sit right next to her. It was a ridiculous debate in his head, because she wouldn't care. But he was still uncertain after confessing to her all that happened between him and her LMD. Did he make things even more awkward? They worked well together to get out, but now that the rush of that was over... where did that leave them?

He turned to give her space.

"Where...?" May mumbled as she cracked her eyes open. "Phil?"

He spun around and knelt down next to her. "Hey, I'm here."

She looked at the blanket draped over her and then at the other one in his hands. "Lying down on these chairs is gonna mess up your back."

"Yeah, that doesn't look very comfortable. I don't know how you do it."

May groaned as she sat up, then patted the seat next to her. "Sit down. You need to rest too."

"I've been strapped to a board long enough."

She raised a challenging eyebrow at him.

"But not as long as you," he said hastily, as he sat next to her. "I still don't know how you have the energy to move."

"I don't." She waited until he spread the blanket over himself and became comfortable before she rested her head on his shoulder.

He immediately reached up to stroke her hair. "Comfortable?"

She hummed in reply as her breathing slowly evened out. Maybe Daisy was right about their connection and how he acted on pure instinct when it came to May. Like stroking her hair when she tried to fall asleep. Like jumping in front of a wall of guns aimed at her. Mace had called him out on it earlier. Said he was irrational when it came to May and Daisy. He... wasn't wrong. Coulson could admit that much. There wasn't much he wouldn't do to get to May.

He turned to press a light kiss to her head that hopefully wouldn't wake her. Part of him was still smarting from finding out that the May he had been flirting with wasn't real. How could he not know the real from the fake? Now that the real May was here with him, sleeping against him, how could he not spot the lies? Had he been so caught up in his feelings that he let it blind him to the obvious cues? Maybe he didn't know May as well as he thought.

That thought crushed whatever feelings of hope he had left. 

He stopped stroking her hair and debated yet again whether he should get up and leave her alone. But he didn't want to wake her. He could try to slide away from her, lay her down again and slip his blanket underneath her head to use as a pillow. He tried to remove his arm from around her shoulders only to feel something grip his thigh. He looked down to find May's hand bunching up his pants like she didn't want him to leave, or was having a bad dream from the scrunched look on her face.

Well, he couldn't leave her in that state. He resumed stroking her hair, waiting for the worry lines to fade away, and her hand to relax. Maybe all was not lost. Even in the Framework, they had a few moments as strangers trying to find their way to help the Resistance. If they could connect there, they could find their way back to each other here. He would make sure. He wouldn't, _couldn't_ lose her again. 

He focused on the heat from her hand and let the warmth permeate the rest of his body, willing it to relax. He would do whatever to took to make sure she would stay safe and alive, and end this nightmare once and for all. 

**five**

May fell asleep again.

She tended to do that a lot in Tahiti, where the warm breeze caressed their skin, with the lull of the ocean in the background. He had never seen her sleep this much. At first he thought _he_ was responsible for tiring her out lately (which she laughed at him for even suggesting that because she could keep going on for much longer than he could), but he quickly realized that it was because she could finally _rest_. She could finally relax and not worry about the next mission, or the team, or the next big threat. She smiled more, she laughed more, she teased him more.

Retirement suited her. Suited the both of them really.

Despite the fact that he was dying, that his chest got tighter every day, and sometimes it was hard to breathe, he was content and happy. Especially when May fell asleep in his arms, like right now.

Honestly, these were the moments he treasured the most. He loved how she pressed against him just right to avoid hurting him. He loved how she would trace his scar and press a kiss right above it so he could feel it. The black lines grew worse, and while he could see some of the panic and sadness in her eyes, he loved how she would put on a brave face for him, and keep going like nothing was wrong. He knew how much of a burden he was to her. How this wasn't fair. How they waited for so long to get to this point, only for it to end abruptly. But she never made him feel like that -- like a burden. She continued to care for him like she always has, and he loved her even more for that.

It was a privilege to see this side of May. This loving, caring, warm, funny side of her. It was something he didn't realize he took for granted all this time. When everyone else saw an ice queen, he saw a big, warm heart aching behind all the stoic layers she put on. She may not have put her love on display or made grand gestures, but it was there in the way she always knew the right words to say to him, the way she propped him up and encouraged him when he doubted himself, the way she got in his face when he was being stupid and reckless, the little touches here and there, the way she would protect him, even if he didn't understand at the time. The way she always believed in him, no matter what.

He didn't know how this beautiful soul could ever love someone like him. But he was done questioning that. She was here with him, and that was all that mattered.

May stirred against him. "Mmm, how long was I asleep?"

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Long enough to write an entire poem about you and your hair--"

She buried her face in his chest and groaned. "Will you stop with that?"

"Did you want me to make it about your mouth or your perfect breasts?" He grinned as she poked him in the side. "I like watching you sleep," he said as he stroked her hair.

"So you keep saying."

"You're cute when you sleep."

"Ugh, stop."

"Never." He continued peppering her with kisses until she tilted her face up for a proper kiss. It was a gentle kiss, filled with all the love he could give. This was what he loved the most -- Seeing May looking up at him with so much love and warmth in her eyes, reflecting the depths of her soul. This was what he wanted to remember.

"Your long black, flowing hair--" he began to recite.

May groaned as she rolled a way from him. "Way to ruin the moment. I am not listening to your horrible poetry again."

He caught her before she could leave the bed and pulled her back to him. "You love it," he mumbled into her neck. "Admit it. It's a work of art."

"No, I really don't. And no, it's not." But she arched her neck to give him more access as he trailed kisses down to her chest. "Mmm."

"But I worked really hard on it."

"There are other things you could work hard at that also involve your mouth."

His grin turned down right evil. "Yes, ma'am."

**bonus six**

Coulson couldn't help his restlessness. He didn't need to sleep, and there wasn't enough around the Zephyr to keep him distracted from his thoughts. Ever since May was nearly shot down in the Quinjet, he hadn't been able to keep his mind off of her. She had shrugged him off after Simmons checked her out, and gone straight to her bunk to rest. Not that he blamed her. She needed her rest, in fact he was fully prepared to convince her to get some sleep, but she beat him to it. 

He still needed to see her though. He'd be completely useless until he knew for sure that May was okay.

With a sigh at his pointless project, he abandoned it on the work bench and headed up to the bunks. He knocked softly on the door, but didn't hear anything. While they had been on somewhat neutral ground lately -- way better than what they were when he first came online -- it hadn't been what it used to be. Not that he expected them to be there, but it definitely wasn't the same level of familiarity where he could just barge into her room, especially while she was sleeping. That was the fastest way to lose a limb, or his head. Plus, it would be such a pain for Simmons and Enoch to rebuild him again.

He tapped at the door again. Still nothing.

"May," he whispered loudly. "Come on, May. It's me."

_She must be really out of it._ Part of him wanted to leave her be, she needed her rest. The other part, desperately needed to check in on her. He glanced down the hall and then took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._

He slowly cracked the door open and peeked in. May was passed out on her bed, face buried in a pillow and even lightly snoring, much to his amusement. He should just close the door and leave. He saw what he needed to see to put his mind at ease. He should leave. Instead, he slipped into her room and closed the door behind him. No turning back now. He literally risked life and limb doing this, but May was worth it.

He turned around to find her rustling in bed and slowly blinked up at him. "Coulson?" she said in hoarse voice.

He bent down and brushed the hair out of her face. "Sorry to wake you."

"What's wrong?" May rubbed her eyes as she sat up in bed. "Are we being attacked again?"

He shook his head as he stood up. "No. I just wanted to... watch you sleep."

May groaned and flopped back in bed. "You woke me up because of your creepy need to watch me sleep?" She rolled away from him. "Go away."

He grinned. She was fine. Now, he felt a little guilty for waking her. "I know you secretly like it."

"No, I don't." She buried her face into the pillow.

He should leave now. One, because May might change her mind and rip him into pieces. Two, she really needed to sleep and he shouldn't have bothered her. Three, she asked him to leave. 

But he couldn't. 

He had the sudden urge to just sit here and make sure she slept for a few more solid hours. What he really wanted to do was to hold her through the night. He blinked. Where did that come from?

"Are you really going to stand there and wait for me to fall asleep?" May asked, voice muffled from the pillow.

"I was thinking of sitting actually."

"I'm too tired to deal with you right now." She sighed. "Either get in bed or go away."

He blinked again. Did he hear that right? "You want me to get in bed? It's tiny. I can just sit here--"

"And be a creep, and then I won't sleep."

He let out a long breath. "Okay then." Coulson cautiously sat on the edge of the bed, toed his shoes off and laid down next to her. "How's this?"

"Are you comfortable?" She still didn't move, but her voice was getting lethargic.

"Are you?"

She turned to face him. "Are you really going to lay there in your suit and watch me sleep?"

He shrugged. "I'm fine."

"Lose the jacket and the tie at least."

He sat up in confusion but did as she requested. It did feel a little better without the extra bulk. He could lay down next to her and not feel as cramped, although it was a very tiny bed for the two of them. Even with her turned away from him again, his shoulder still brushed up against her back.

"Feel better?" she asked.

"A little bit." He bit his lip and tapped his fingers over his belly. He didn't want to push her. He already got more than be bargained for by even sharing a bed with her. Asking her to--

May sighed. "Just spit it out."

"Just sleep, May."

"I can't sleep when you're thinking so loudly. Otherwise, go away."

"Can I hold you?" he asked so quickly and so quietly he wasn't sure she heard him. "Please?"

Her hand snaked out from under the covers, grabbed his hand and pulled him to her so his front pressed up against her back. "Better?" she mumbled, already drifting off.

He tucked her in even closer and buried his nose in her hair. "Much better," he whispered, as he pressed a soft kiss to her head. He could smell faint traces of her cucumber and mint shampoo and the green tea she must've had before falling asleep. She squeezed his hand once and he took it as a grateful sign. 

As May drifted off, he noticed that her hand still rested over his and he couldn't help but wonder if this was her plan all along. Not that he was complaining. She was alive, she was here in his arms, and nothing could be better.


End file.
